A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material which is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever. The copyrighted images credited to other parties are used to illustrate the sport of curling in support of the disclosure is this patent application and are believed to be a Fair Use under 17 U.S.C. xc2xa7107.
Not applicable.
Not applicable.
Not applicable.
1. Field of the Invention.
The present invention relates, generally, to athletic equipment and methods, and particularly to equipment and methods used in the sport of curling. More particularly, the invention relates to an apparatus and method for maintaining or improving balance during the delivery of a curling stone. The apparatus and methods are also useful with tools or other devices which have handles.
2. Background Information
The state of the art includes various devices and methods for maintaining balance during the delivery of a curling stone. These include conventional curling brooms and a separate and distinct stabilizer.
The known devices and methods are believed to have significant limitations and shortcomings. Specifically, it may be difficult for some people to maintain their balance with a conventional curling broom. Further, the separate and distinct stabilizers may be misplaced or may be left in inconvenient locations on the curling rink between deliveries.
The present invention provides an apparatus and method for delivering a curling stone which are believed to constitute an improvement over the known art.
The invention also provides an apparatus and method for use with tools such as shovels, rakes and the like, which are believed to constitute an improvement of the known art.
The present invention provides an apparatus and method for delivering a curling stone. The apparatus of the present invention may be defined as either a curling broom or as a delivery accessory for a curling broom. The curling broom generally comprises a broom head, a broom handle attached to the broom head, and a delivery accessory adapted for being attached to either the broom handle or the broom head in both a first position and a second position. The delivery accessory provides a means for improving the balance of a person delivering a curling stone in the first position. The delivery accessory is stored in a nonobtrusive manner in the second position enabling the curling broom to be used for conventional sweeping in front of a delivered curling stone. The delivery accessory generally comprises a support stand and a mount adapted for attaching the support stand to the curling broom. In an alternative embodiment, the delivery accessory may include a friction cam adapted for locking into a usable orientation in the first position, releasing to slide along the broom handle, and locking into a stored orientation in the second position. The method for delivering a curling stone generally comprises the steps of attaching a delivery accessory to a curling broom, and delivering the curling stone with one hand and holding onto the curling broom with a second hand as the curling stone is being delivered.
The invention also provides a tool, comprising, generally, a head element; a handle attached to the head element; and a delivery accessory adapted for being attached to the handle in either a first or a second position. The delivery accessory improves the balance and work output of a person using the tool when the delivery accessory is in the first position. The delivery accessory is stored in a nonobtrusive manner in the second position.